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Confident Bresnan back in Ashes contention

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AFP Adelaide
All-rounder Tim Bresnan today voiced confidence his recall to the England squad after battling an injury will give the team a much-needed boost going into the second Test against Australia.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the hard-working seamer,who has taken 67 wickets in 21 Tests, is now fit -- a boon for the tourists, who lost the first Test in Brisbane by 381 runs.

"Tim Bresnan has been added to England's Ashes squad, and is in the reckoning to play in the second Test at Adelaide this week," the ECB said on its website.

His availability is a welcome boost for England whose third paceman Chris Tremlett failed to impress at the Gabba.
 

Bresnan, who suffered a stress fracture of his lower back in August, would not say whether he had been told if he will start in the Adelaide Test starting on Thursday, but hoped his positive attitude would rub off on his teammates.

"I'm quite a positive bloke, a positive player, so hopefully me coming back into the squad gives the team a lift," he said, adding that England were ready to bounce back from their Brisbane hammering.

"Obviously we need to play well as a team. We are not a team of individuals," he said.

Bresnan added: "I think the heavy defeat... Did dent us, but we are a group of guys that when our backs are against the wall, we come out fighting.

"We've done it time and time again in Test series, especially when we are put under pressure and in a corner. That is where we really show our mental fortitude."

The paceman boosted his case for a recall after claiming four wickets and scoring a half-century for a development team in Brisbane last week, a workout he said could not have gone better.

"I bowled nicely at Brisbane in both innings so there's no reason why I can't take that confidence into a Test match," he said.

"The break has been really good for my back and other areas of my body as well.

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First Published: Dec 03 2013 | 10:15 AM IST

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